Artistic endeavors

Oct. 13, 2008

A Jeanne D. Shaw creation is among the offerings of Riverdrifters Fine Art Works. The gallery and studio space of Shaw and fellow artist Barbara Hunt are housed in an old cabin at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson. / Mary Shustack/The Journal News

Written by

Mary Shustack

The Journal News

If you go ...

Riverdrifters Fine Art Works is in Cabin 13 (past the RV area) in Croton Point Park, off Croton Point Avenue in Croton-on-Hudson. The gallery is open weekends or by appointment. The gallery donates 25 percent of its proceeds to the nonprofit group Friends of Westchester County Parks. For more details, e-mail the artists at bhunt@riverdrifterart.com or jdshaw@riverdrifterart.com.On the Web

"Shop of the Week" is a weekly feature devoted to one-of-a-kind shops we think you'll want to check out. Recent profiles have included Theodora's Gracious Living in Nyack, Lot84 in Mount Kisco, Black Squirrel Outfitters in Pelham, Indigo Chic in New City and Pink on Palmer in Larchmont. To read about these stores, and for more on shopping in our region, visit Mary Shustack's local shopping blog, "Just Browsing," at justbrowsing.lohudblogs.com.

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I challenge anyone to come away from Riverdrifters Fine Art Works and not be inspired.

It's a colorful gallery that spills out of a cabin at Croton Point Park, and my recent visit had me thinking about art, nature and the nature of art.

The cabin is both studio and exhibition space for Barbara Hunt and Jeanne D. Shaw, Croton-on-Hudson multimedia artists whose work is "honoring the spirit of the wood."

And that wood, primarily driftwood rescued from the banks of the nearby Hudson River, is joined by other found objects such as shells, feathers, glass and stones.

These all come together in sculptures, paintings and collages shown and sold ($10 to $2,500).

You get a sense of the still-being-discovered place the moment you come upon it, tucked just past the RV area of the Croton-on-Hudson park and surrounded by outdoor sculptures.

Inside, it's a cozy retreat, with soft music playing and a sitting room filled with art.

"When you set it up the way it should be, people can envision it in their homes," Shaw says.

The cabin, itself rescued from a dilapidated state, remains without heat and running water but Hunt still calls it "a blessing."

It's the same for Shaw, who speaks about how the cabin provides a place to create and display work.

"That's so much more important than creature comforts," she adds.

What I loved was the way nature is so much a part of things, how a row of feathers decorates a simple curtain.

Before the gallery's May opening, the artists worked out of their own homes, or on the beach, while exhibiting at local galleries, art centers and craft shows.

Here, each artist has a room devoted to her own work in addition to shared space. Look closely and you'll notice how a CD or piece of a puzzle, literally, has been incorporated into a work. Others are flanked by poetry. Messages touch on conservation, human nature and more. The artists welcome visitors, especially children who see concrete examples of conservation, recycling and an overall respect for nature.

It all comes through the work, whether it's a Shaw painting of the educational river sloop, the Clearwater, or a Hunt sculpture paying tribute to a spirited park eagle.

"I like my artwork to speak for itself and if you really listen, you're going to hear what it has to say," Hunt says. "The wood speaks to us. It tells us what to do. There's no question."

Shaw and Hunt's studio space looks out over the woods. While not in the cabin, the artists (also park volunteers) are out exploring and sketching, gathering more raw materials.

Some things end up in the cabin, ready to be worked on with paints and clays, shellacs and hardware; others end up on the lawn, including a brilliant-green driftwood dragon.

Riverdrifters might be an unconventional place to shop, but as Shaw says, "If you're going to go shopping, you want to support some local artists who have a vision."